Dr. Jack Monroe Sanders Sr.

MARSHALL — Dr. Jack Monroe Sanders Sr., passed away following a brief illness Thursday evening, the 24th of January 2013, in Marshall, Texas. He was 90 years old.
A fourth generation native of Marshall, Jack was born on the 18th of September 1922. He attended grade, junior high and high school in Marshall. In September 1941, he entered Texas A & M University, where he was a member of K Co. Infantry and the United States Army Specialized Training Program. He later became an honorary member of the Ross Volunteers and an honorary member of Kappa Alpha Order at Texas A&M University-Commerce. In 1945, Jack was conferred the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and began practicing in Memphis, Tennessee. A year later he established the first private practice of veterinary medicine in Marshall, where he treated both large and small animals.
Jack proudly served his country during the Korean War, joining the U.S. Army in 1950. He was commissioned as a captain and served in the U.S. Veterinary Corps until 1952, stationed in Chicago, Fort Sill and Dallas. In 1952, he returned to Marshall where he resumed his life's work in veterinary medicine until his retirement in 1984. His dedication to his profession was recognized by the Texas Veterinary Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, of which he was a distinguished life member.
In 1960, Dr. Sanders was elected to the Marshall City Commission, where he served one term. From that time until his death, he remained active in the historical preservation and re-development of downtown Marshall.
With business interests in cattle ranching and beef, mineral and timber production, Jack took personal pride in responsibly managing land and water conservation programs throughout East Texas and at Caddo Lake. In 1958, he joined soil conservation efforts in Texas, under the leadership of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Forestry Service. He was a member of the Red River Valley Association and served on its board in the 1960's. He was a charter member of both the Greater Caddo Lake Association and the Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where he served on its board. He was an advisory board member to the Longhorn Ammunition Plant Restoration. In 2005, Jack was awarded the Forest Conservationist Award from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. In 2008, he received the Nature Conservancy of Texas Fred and Lucille Dahmer Award.
He was a longtime member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall, where in his retirement years he and his wife taught Sunday School classes to pre-schoolers. When spending weekends at his beloved Kahula Lodge on Caddo Lake, he attended church at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Leigh, Texas.
Dr. Sanders is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Mary Jane Baldwin Sanders; his son, Jack Monroe Sanders Jr., and wife, Lynn Schnobrich Sanders of Marshall; his daughter, Elizabeth "Beth" Sanders Moore and husband, Jess Reagan Moore of Houston; his grandchildren, Courtney Elizabeth Sanders and Rebecca Jane Sanders of Fort Worth; his stepgrandchildren, Anthony Frank "Tony" Cocchiarella of Houston and Gina Cocchiarella Krenek and husband, Brian Jeffries Krenek of Columbus, Ohio, along with their children Micah and Cole; his sister, Dorothy Ruth Sanders Harper and husband, Donald Ray Harper of Tyler, Texas; his sister-in-law, Cora Lee "Cody" Fein Baldwin of Marshall and Long Boat Key, Florida; and his nieces, nephews and their children.
Jack was preceded in death by his loving son, David Baldwin Sanders. He is also predeceased by his parents, George Hughey Sanders Sr., and Ruth Lancaster Sanders; his brother, George Hughey Sanders Jr.; and his grandparents. Among them his grandfather, C.G. Lancaster, was a noted American architect of courthouses, synagogues, schools, hotels and private homes listed in the National Registry of Historical Places.
Dr. Sanders was blessed to spend the last years of his life at home with his family and in the care of Essie Mae Haggerty, Arlanders "Pop" Davis, Emma Lovely, Helen Johnson, Hearese "Sis" Moore, Bessie Dawson and Freddie Cooper.
The funeral service is to be conducted at half-past two o'clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 28th of January, 2013, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall, where the Rev. John Himes, Rector, will officiate. Burial will immediately follow in Scottsville Cemetery in Scottsville, Texas.
Pallbearers will be Cary M. "Mac" Abney, Rod Watson and Jack's nephews, George H. Sanders III M.D., Ken Sanders, Scott Baldwin Jr., Jack B. Baldwin, Phillip B. Baldwin Jr., Franklin Jones III, and Jonathan Winocour.
Friends are cordially invited to gather with Jack's family and share remembrances of Jack's life at Downs Funeral Home in Marshall from two o'clock until four o'clock in the afternoon, today, the 27th of January, 2013.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Dr. Sanders are suggested to Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 230, Karnack, TX 75661 or Trinity Episcopal School, 2905 Rosborough Springs Rd, Marshall, TX 75672; or to the charity of your choice.
Arrangements are under the direction of Downs Funeral Home, which is accepting condolences on behalf of the family at www.downsfuneralhome.com.